Tuesday, June 11, 2013

DC Comics New 52 - Stryder's Weekly Top 5

Another week, another bunch of comics! These were all released on June 5, 2013...

Green Arrow #21 -"I was Oliver Queen. I was the Green Arrow. But now I'm no one and nothing."

This month brings us the really great wrap up to Jeff Lemire and Andrea Sorrentino's excellent first arc of Green Arrow, "The Kill Machine"! Oliver finally catches up the enigmatic Magus and begins to discover the truth about a great many things. He learns more of the island where he first developed his archery skills, more of his father, and all about his father's untimely death and the legacy that's been left to him! Oh and of course what "bad guy" archer Komodo's role in all of this is. Turns out, it's no co-incidence that Oliver Queen was marooned on a tropical island with nothing but a bow...

It's amazing you know, I used to only liked Green Arrow as a fun character to mock, but every issue of this comic since Lemire and Sorrentino took over the book has sold me further on the character. I know I say this every month, but it just blows my mind how much better this comic has become...from a book I had to talk myself into buying once a month into one that I really look forward too! Now I can't wait to see what comes next!

What other 4 comics did I pick this week? One way to find out...after the JUMP!

Detective Comics #21 - "Out-of-towners. They don't know Gotham. They're unprepared for what hits them. And even less prepared for what's about to."

Bruce Wayne is hosting some big political shindig at Wayne Tower this month...specifically so that BATMAN can monitor the situation, which is obviously rife with potential for assassins, terrorists, super-criminals and psychopaths. Hey, it's Gotham City, right? What else is new?

Big difference this time...municipal electrical worker and sometime Bat-punching-bag Harper Row is working the party, troubleshooting the electrical grid...and keeping an eye out for trouble, herself, despite Batman telling her in no uncertain terms NOT to DO that. Well, go looking for trouble and it's not hard to find...Harper spots a mysterious lady sneaking around and decides to follow her...soon enough it becomes clear that yes, she's an assassin! Also a meta-human. ALSO someone with a mysterious connection to Bruce's past! Can Batman save Harper and also stop this lady of shadows?

Oh we also get a Man-Bat back-up story this issue! It's cool, but still jarring that they are treating Man-Bat as a "new" character when he's been used in Batman Incorporated since the earliest issues...retcon anyone? Regardless, both main and back-up story are very well done and entertaining! Detective Comics continues to be a very strong book!

Green Lantern #21 -"We're done for. The Central Power Battery is dead."
An all-new creative team takes over Green Lantern this month after the amazing Geoff Johns' finale in issue #20! Tough to follow his run, but new writer Robert Venditti and penciller Billy Tan are going to give it a shot! Since the old, mad Guardians are gone and the new Guardians have been imprisoned for millennia and are thus a little out of touch, it is decided that the miraculously returned Hal Jordan is going to be put IN CHARGE of the Green Lantern Corps!! Anyone who's met Hal isn't too sure that's a good idea...including Hal himself! Nevertheless, with the Corps decimated by the First Lantern, there isn't much choice in the matter. Someone's got to hold things together! Especially considering, with the Lanterns in a weakened state, it doesn't take long at all for some force to attack Oa itself!!

For the more romantically inclined, there's also some character-building between Hal and Carol "Star Sapphire" Ferris...can those crazy kids ever work things out??

Action Comics #21 - "You are a scourge on this planet. Your kind is not welcome here. I will show you the way off."

Lex Luthor's plan to "save" the Earth from Superman comes to fruition this issue! He's designed a genetic disease that's creating a hybrid DNA monster out of first Superman and then the citizens of Metropolis! Then he's blamed the disease on Superman and sworn to save the city from the "alien menace"! Not too surprisingly, there are many amongst the humans who are inclined to agree with Lex...especially when they witness Superman attacking Lex in his power armour, with absolutely no context...silly humans, always jumping to conclusions...

Also this issue is "The World of Krypton" part 2, starring a young Lara Lor-Van, aka Superman's (biological) Mom...and of course, featuring that ever-so-popular absent minded scientist, Jor-El. Political strife and natural disasters on a doomed world! What's not to like?

As promised in the Earth 2 Annual last week, this month's comic reveals the origin of new "wonder" Captain Steel! We learn about the man, his powers and motivations and at least a little of where they came from! We also get to see him on a mission into one of the crazy lethal fire pits that were created using Apokolips technology back in the great war! Each of these fire pits is fatal to any life nearby EXCEPT the one in Rio De Janeiro, which is somehow different. On the eve of the World Army's declaration of war on the nation of Dehrain (now controlled, as you may recall, by Darkseid's general Steppenwolf) sudden activity has been witnessed around this Brazilian fire pit...thus, Captain Steel must investigate! What horrors might he find? Only time will tell....

Also this issue...the first, brief meeting of Hawkgirl and the new Batman of Earth 2! If nothing else, it definitely proves this new Batman does NOT share the same aversion to killing that his predecessor held so dear...

ANNND there you have it! Fun week! Don't forget about New Comic Book Day tomorrow! It's a HUGE one, with the release of the very first issue of new Scott Snyder/Jim Lee Superman title, SUPERMAN UNCHAINED #1!! Not only that, but tomorrow's Batman #21 starts the New 52 Batman origin story ZERO YEAR! If there's not enough Superman or Batman in your life, here's your jumping on point!!

This week's Stryder's Dementia is uh...well, it's...um...SOMETHING...and it rhymes! Take a look...